Best Soil for Gardening in North Carolina
North Carolina has 100 USDA soil survey areas, and they vary considerably in how friendly the ground is for growing things. We ranked every survey area by the percentage of well-drained soil — the single most important soil property for most garden plants.
At the top, Stanly County, North Carolina has 98% well-drained soils — conditions where most vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive with basic soil preparation. At the other end, Hyde County, North Carolina comes in at 1%, meaning more of the landscape has drainage challenges that may require raised beds, soil amendments, or careful site selection for a productive garden.
Remember that these are area-wide averages. Even in a low-ranking survey area, individual properties can have excellent garden soil. Look up your specific address for exact conditions.
| # | Survey Area | Well-Drained Soils | Dominant Drainage | Dominant Soil Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanly County, North Carolina | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 2 | Stokes County, North Carolina | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 3 | Surry County, North Carolina | 98% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 4 | Randolph County, North Carolina | 97% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 5 | Clay County, North Carolina | 97% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 6 | Haywood County Area, North Carolina | 96% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 7 | Wilkes County, North Carolina | 96% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 8 | Vance County, North Carolina | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 9 | Orange County, North Carolina | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 10 | Cleveland County, North Carolina | 95% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 11 | Guilford County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 12 | Union County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 13 | McDowell County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 14 | Polk County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 15 | Avery County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 16 | Warren County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 17 | Alexander County, North Carolina | 94% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 18 | Catawba County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 19 | Rockingham County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 20 | Yadkin County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 21 | Alamance County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 22 | Person County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 23 | Davidson County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 24 | Lincoln County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 25 | Chatham County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 26 | Burke County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 27 | Iredell County, North Carolina | 93% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 28 | Gaston County, North Carolina | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 29 | Macon County, North Carolina | 92% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 30 | Granville County, North Carolina | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 31 | Mecklenburg County, North Carolina | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 32 | Rutherford County, North Carolina | 92% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 33 | Rowan County, North Carolina | 91% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 34 | Mitchell County, North Carolina | 91% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 35 | Cabarrus County, North Carolina | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 36 | Montgomery County, North Carolina | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 37 | Caswell County, North Carolina | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 38 | Ashe County, North Carolina | 90% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 39 | Madison County, North Carolina | 90% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 40 | Forsyth County, North Carolina | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 41 | Lee County, North Carolina | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 42 | Graham County, North Carolina | 89% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 43 | Buncombe County, North Carolina | 89% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 44 | Franklin County, North Carolina | 89% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 45 | Durham County, North Carolina | 88% | Moderately well drained | Ultisols |
| 46 | Davie County, North Carolina | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 47 | Cherokee County, North Carolina | 88% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 48 | Anson County, North Carolina | 87% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 49 | Swain County Area, North Carolina | 87% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 50 | Jackson County, North Carolina | 87% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 51 | Caldwell County, North Carolina | 85% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 52 | Wake County, North Carolina | 84% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 53 | Yancey County, North Carolina | 83% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 54 | Watauga County, North Carolina | 81% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 55 | Alleghany County, North Carolina | 77% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 56 | Moore County, North Carolina | 76% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 57 | Henderson County, North Carolina | 76% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 58 | Harnett County, North Carolina | 72% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 59 | Halifax County, North Carolina | 72% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 60 | Nash County, North Carolina | 72% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 61 | Johnston County, North Carolina | 68% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 62 | Transylvania County, North Carolina | 68% | Well drained | Inceptisols |
| 63 | Northampton County, North Carolina | 64% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 64 | Greene County, North Carolina | 62% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 65 | Hoke County, North Carolina | 62% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 66 | Duplin County, North Carolina | 59% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 67 | Richmond County, North Carolina | 58% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 68 | Sampson County, North Carolina | 58% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 69 | Wilson County, North Carolina | 58% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 70 | Edgecombe County, North Carolina | 55% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 71 | Scotland County, North Carolina | 52% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 72 | Wayne County, North Carolina | 49% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 73 | Cumberland County, North Carolina | 48% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 74 | Hertford County, North Carolina | 48% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 75 | Onslow County, North Carolina | 42% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 76 | Robeson County, North Carolina | 40% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 77 | Lenoir County, North Carolina | 38% | Well drained | Ultisols |
| 78 | Bertie County, North Carolina | 34% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 79 | Bladen County, North Carolina | 34% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 80 | Chowan County, North Carolina | 33% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 81 | Martin County, North Carolina | 33% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 82 | Pitt County, North Carolina | 31% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 83 | Brunswick County, North Carolina | 31% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 84 | Columbus County, North Carolina | 30% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 85 | Gates County, North Carolina | 29% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 86 | Pender County, North Carolina | 27% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 87 | Jones County, North Carolina | 23% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 88 | Craven County, North Carolina | 23% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 89 | New Hanover County, North Carolina | 23% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 90 | Currituck County, North Carolina | 13% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 91 | Pamlico County, North Carolina | 12% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 92 | Beaufort County, North Carolina | 12% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 93 | Perquimans County, North Carolina | 11% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 94 | Carteret County, North Carolina | 11% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 95 | Washington County, North Carolina | 7% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 96 | Camden County, North Carolina | 7% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 97 | Pasquotank County, North Carolina | 5% | Poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 98 | Dare County, North Carolina | 4% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |
| 99 | Tyrrell County, North Carolina | 1% | Very poorly drained | Ultisols |
| 100 | Hyde County, North Carolina | 1% | Very poorly drained | Entisols |